Beating the Odds
by Stormfire76
Summary: "'It's impossible. No man finds Ogygia twice. That is the rule.' Leo rolled his eyes. 'Yeah, well, you might've noticed that I'm not good at following rules.'" - pg. 401, HoH. Leo isn't very good at following the rules, but even he can't get around an oath sworn on the River Styx. Not that he would want to. After all, fulfilling this particular oath means seeing Calypso again.
1. The Labyrinth

**So this story is only going to be four chapters, and it's basically a series of headcanons I have about how Calypso and Leo will manage to find each other again—and stay together this time—in BoO. And unlike most of my fics, I've actually written the whole thing out already, so you can expect regular updates! (Probably once a week.) **

**Oh, and this will probably be the only long AN in this story, but I feel like I need to offer an explanation to everyone. Those of you who know me as "that-author-who-writes-super-long-Leyna-fanfictions" might be staring at the pairing of this story in shock right now, but it's true, this really is a Caleo story. While Leyna is still an OTP of mine, right up there with Percabeth, I actually really like Caleo as well. For one thing, I feel obligated to like them because they're canon, and I don't want to spend BoO in tears because Leyna isn't going to happen (haha but really), but I also think Caleo is a seriously cute ship with lots of potential. And because of the many problems they'll have to face in BoO if they want to end up happy together, I really enjoyed forming headcanons about how they could solve those issues. And I have to admit, I'm kind of excited to share them with everyone.**

**Anyway, despite my excitement, my other stories To Storm or Fire and War and Memories are _so _long and complicated that I really don't have the time or energy to write a super long Caleo fic, so this will be a short experiment, rather than a structured story that describes every single event that will happen from now to August 1st. However, that also means that this can be mostly pure Caleo, so I hope you guys enjoy the result! **

**Feel free to review and tell me what you think!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own HoO.**

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**The Labyrinth**

* * *

Leo was standing at the helm when Hazel burst onto the deck with Frank lumbering behind her, yawning. "We have to change course!" she yelled.

Instantly, Leo pulled the brakes on the ship, and Percy and Annabeth—who had volunteered to help Leo with the night watch—whirled around, swords in hand. "What happened?" Percy demanded. "Did you see an attack headed our way? More harpies?"

Hazel looked a little sheepish. "No, nothing like that," she said. "There's no immediate danger, but—well, we have a problem."

Leo frowned. "What problem?"

"Unfortunately, my hunch was right. Pasiphae reopened the labyrinth." Hazel made a face. "And worse, we have to go inside it."

Leo saw Annabeth tense. "The labyrinth . . . Hazel, that thing was bad news when _Daedalus_ controlled it. I—You'd better have a _really_ good reason if you want me to go back into it. _Especially_ if it's Pasiphae's now."

But Hazel was already shaking her head. "I'm not asking _you _to go inside it," she said quickly. "Not you or Percy. You two have already gone through enough. After Tartarus . . ." She trailed off, noticing Leo's warning shake of his head. _Thank gods,_ he thought. _The last thing they need is to think about that place._ Leo knew both of them were still having nightmares, even if everyone else didn't. A few days ago, he had guessed why they kept volunteering to keep watch at night. It was a lot easier to recover from their dreams during the day, when they had sunlight to reassure them that they'd really made it out.

When Leo tuned back in, Hazel was still talking. "Anyway, you guys don't need to go in, but I do, and Frank agreed to come with me."

"Where is all this coming from?" Percy asked.

"Hecate talked to me in a dream again last night," Hazel explained. "She said there was something in the labyrinth—a secret weapon we would need to defeat Gaea—and she told me one of us would know how to find it." She shrugged. "I don't know who she meant, exactly, but maybe it was me. My underground senses will probably come in handy. Plus, now that I can manipulate the Mist and everything . . . well, I'm not sure, but maybe that will help me survive the labyrinth, like I did with Leo last time."

Annabeth shook her head. "Don't be so sure your underground senses will be useful. The labyrinth doesn't work like a normal tunnel."

Hazel sighed. "I know, but what other option do we have?"

While they spoke, gears spun furiously in Leo's head, like he was one of his dad's automatons. As soon as Hazel finished, he turned to Percy. "You went into the labyrinth a few years ago, didn't you? Isn't that how you ended up on Calypso's island?"

Percy shot a nervous glance at Annabeth, but she just rolled her eyes at him, like, _You fell into Tartarus for me, Seaweed Brain. You're crazy if you think I'm still jealous about something that happened years ago—before we were even dating. _"Um, not exactly," Percy said cautiously. "It led us to Mount St. Helens, which I had to blow up, and _then _I landed on Calypso's island. Why do you ask?"

"Oh, no reason," Leo said casually. Surreptitiously, he slipped his hand into his tool belt, brushing against the astrolabe that always seemed to weigh the belt down. It stubbornly showed up every time he reached inside, whether he wanted the thing or not—just as Calypso popped up in his thoughts at the most inconvenient moments.

He considered Percy's story. _Close enough,_ he decided. If Percy had found Calypso through the labyrinth with no navigational tools, there was every possibility that if he went with Hazel and Frank . . . Well, after they found whatever Hecate wanted them to look for, he might be able to find a way to Ogygia.

_I'm coming back for you, Calypso. I swear it on the River Styx._

He still hadn't told the others about meeting Calypso—or about his oath. This was his chance to take care of it before he had to share his secret, and they got mad at him for being a reckless idiot. Leo made a snap decision. "Hey, Hazel, you need a way to navigate the labyrinth, right?"

Hazel raised her eyebrows. "Yeah, Annabeth and I were just talking about that," she said. "You have any ideas?"

He grinned. "More than that," he said, reaching into a different pocket of his tool belt. "See, after Pasiphae trapped us in that Mist-labyrinth, I decided I didn't really want to get stuck in a situation like that again. So I started looking through Archimedes's notes, on the off-chance that he knew about Daedalus's inventions, and, well . . ." He pulled out a ball of wire. "It turns out that he did." His eyes gleamed. "Makes sense that he would want to make one of these, doesn't it? After all, a ball of yarn is a kind of sphere."

Annabeth snorted, but Leo detected real curiosity in her eyes. "Are you sure it works?" she said dubiously. "The original ball of yarn was magical, and made of _yarn_, and that . . ."

"Wire is more durable than yarn," Leo said dismissively. "And Archimedes never got a chance to test his idea, but I followed his instructions to make this perfectly, and I've never had a reason to doubt his theories. They've all worked so far."

Percy looked nervous. "I don't know, Leo," he said. "Daedalus told us it was better to get a mortal guide—"

"Yeah, I've heard the stories about Rachel Dare's magical trap-detecting skills," Leo interrupted, "but in case you haven't noticed, we're a little short on mortals around here." He turned to Hazel. "What do you think? Will this work? Can I go with you guys?"

Hazel considered him. "You're awfully eager to go into this dangerous maze, Leo," she said suspiciously. "You do realize it will be _dangerous_, right?"

"Of course I do. But I figure that the sooner we go in and get this thing, the sooner we can come back out and use it to kick Gaea's butt. Besides, we need a new secret weapon after sending the Athena Parthenos to New York."

Annabeth sighed. "I guess you guys have to do this," she said finally, "but . . . just be careful, all right? The labyrinth can mess with your head. Stick together, and use that wire like it's your lifeline—because it pretty much is." She paused, like something had just occurred to her. "Wait. Do you even know how to get _into _the labyrinth?"

Hazel nodded. "Hecate told me that there's an entrance in Corinth."

Leo turned to the helm, trying not to look too enthusiastic. "All right," he said. "I'll plot a course for Corinth." _And then to Calypso._

By the time he finished and flipped back around, Hazel had laced her fingers in Frank's. "You've been pretty quiet," she said to him. "Now that Leo's coming with me, are you sure you still want to go?"

Leo hid a laugh as Frank suppressed a yawn. "Sure, Hazel. Of course. Can I go back to sleep now?"

* * *

Six hours later, they were in Corinth. Leo turned to Hazel. "So where exactly is this entrance?"

Hazel shook her head, gold eyes glowing with annoyance. "Hecate didn't say," she grumbled. "Look for the most Greek-looking building and go from there, I guess. I'll use my underground senses to try to pinpoint it—we'll see how much good that does us."

He shrugged. "Good a plan as any." He looked at the rest of his friends. Annabeth, Percy, Piper, Jason, and even Coach Hedge had all gathered on the deck to wish them luck. "Don't crash the _Argo II _while we're gone, all right?"

Annabeth smiled confidently. "Don't worry. I can handle it. But I was serious when I told you all to be careful," she added, sobering. "We need all the seven together when we go to face Gaea."

Leo just grinned. "All the seven, plus our secret weapon," he proclaimed. _Plus an incredibly pretty goddess who somehow manages to be annoying and endearing at the same time._

"Don't jinx it, Leo!" Piper complained.

"Well, don't _tell_ me I'm going to jinx it, then!" Leo shot back.

She rolled her eyes. "Whatever, Repair Boy. Just try not to get yourself shot into the sky again."

"I make no promises, Beauty Queen." _I already have one dangerous oath to worry about, after all_.

Eventually, they stopped teasing each other and moved on to the hugs and goodbyes. Then Hazel, Frank, and Leo climbed down the ladder and into Corinth, the wire and astrolabe feeling heavy in Leo's tool belt.

* * *

As it turned out, the entrance to the labyrinth wasn't in the most Greek-looking building. It was in a modern bank that bore absolutely no resemblance to the classics. Fortunately, Hazel's daughter-of-Pluto tunnel-sensing powers made it easy to find the entrance, just like they'd hoped. Opening it was a momentary obstacle, but Frank quickly pointed out a weird carving of a table that Leo identified not as a table, but as the Greek letter Pi.

"That's Pi for Pasiphae, in case you Romans were wondering," he added teasingly. Now that he was so close to Calypso, his sense of humor was running at full force. "And yes, the Greek alphabet is weird."

Frank frowned. "Okay, but how does that help us?"

Leo shrugged. "Entrances to the old labyrinth were marked with the letter Delta, for Daedalus. Maybe Pasiphae marked the new gates the same way. It's worth a shot." He punched the carving—and instantly fell through into the labyrinth. Hazel and Frank followed him soon afterwards.

Once inside the endless tunnels, they unspooled wire and wandered aimlessly for hours—without coming any closer to discovering the secret weapon Hecate had promised them.

"Hazel," Leo said hesitantly, "I hate to ask you this again, but are you _sure_ Hecate didn't give you any clues about what this weapon is?"

"No," she growled, "and if you ask me again, Valdez, I swear to all the gods that I'll—"

Frank put one massive hand on her shoulder, and she seemed to calm down. "Don't get upset, Haze. You know he's just trying to help."

Hazel softened. "I know. I'm sorry for snapping at you, Leo."

"Hey, no problem," Leo grinned easily. "I annoy everybody." Hazel raised her eyebrows, and Leo knew why. Before Ogygia, he probably would have joked about how his smoking good looks always made girls irrational, but now he was just worried for her. It wasn't fair for Hecate to leave them in the dark (figuratively and literally—this _was_ the labyrinth, after all) and expect Hazel to figure everything out again. It had been hard enough for her to learn to control the Mist. She didn't need any more challenges.

Leo decided to cheer her up a bit. "Maybe we aren't getting anywhere because I'm the one holding this wire," he said seriously. "Maybe it requires your magic Mist powers to make it work."

Hazel snorted incredulously but accepted the wire with a quick smile. Leo felt stupidly proud for making her feel better.

They walked in silence for a few minutes, Leo trailing behind as he thought. What sort of weapon was Hecate promising them? How did she expect them to find it? The wire only kept them from getting lost. It didn't show them where to go.

Of course, that train of thought fizzled out quickly as he started imagining how he would find Calypso, just like he always did when there were no immediate threats to his life going on. (Which was pretty rare, considering that he was a demigod in the Ancient Lands.) After a while, though, Frank started talking, and Leo forced himself to stop daydreaming and pay attention. "All right," Frank said. "So Hecate obviously isn't going to be helpful, but she's not the only lead we have. Hazel, are your underground senses telling you anything?"

Hazel had been scanning the tunnels that branched off the one they were traveling, probably hoping to see a clue, but Frank's question made her refocus. "No," she said with disappointment. "I guess I shouldn't be surprised, since Annabeth did say that—_Wait_." She tensed. "Actually, I think I _can _feel something . . ." Her eyes widened, and she whirled towards Leo. "What are you doing so far back? Annabeth told us to stick together—"

And at that moment, the walls caved in.

* * *

By the time the rocks settled, Leo could tell that he was alone. "Hazel?" he called out, accidentally breathing in the dust caused by the falling debris as he spoke. "Frank? Are—are you guys all right?" He barely finished the sentence before dissolving into coughs.

"Leo?" He sighed in relief when he heard Hazel's voice (which of course made him cough more). "Leo, we're fine! What about you? You sound awful."

Leo lifted his shirt and breathed through it until his coughing subsided. "There's dust in my throat and a rock on my leg, but I'm good," he promised. "I didn't think this place was so unstable."

"Pasiphae must be toying with us." Hazel sounded frustrated. "Or maybe Gaea. You said your leg is stuck? Is it broken?"

Leo shook the dirt out of his hair and sat up, wincing. "Nah," he said. "It's a small rock. A pebble, really." Leo frowned at the boulder on his calf. It was at least the size of Frank's head—when he was in elephant form.

"Hang on, Leo," Frank spoke up for the first time. "I'll change into—into a gorilla or something. Shift these rocks out of the way." There were a few seconds of silence, a surprised gasp from Hazel—Leo didn't blame her; watching Frank turn into animals was _weird—_and then a massive crash.

"Gods, Frank!" Leo heard Hazel squeak. "What did you do?"

Leo studied the rock on his leg—was there something in his tool belt that could move it?—while Frank grumbled and complained incoherently on the other side of the collapse. After a few minutes, the son of Mars said, "Leo, I tried to move the debris, and it kind of . . . fell on me. Don't laugh."

"Wouldn't dream of it," Leo said, holding back a snicker.

Frank sighed. "Anyway, I managed to dig my way out, but the collapse is too unstable. I don't think I'll be able to move anything without accidentally burying all three of us."

"Don't worry, Leo," Hazel added. "We'll find a way around, or maybe you can build something and burrow through, or—"

"Stop, Hazel." She stopped. Leo frowned at the rock on his leg, then gave up and shoved at it angrily. It didn't budge. "You know the labyrinth doesn't work like normal tunnels. You guys could try to find a way around and end up ten thousand miles away. Just keep going. Try to figure out what we're looking for, and hold onto that wire whatever you do. It'd be really bad if you got lost down here."

"Yeah?" Frank growled. "And how are you going to keep from getting lost, huh? You don't have any wire."

Leo didn't answer for a few minutes, while he was busy building a mini-carjack to pry the boulder off of him. When he was done, he was grateful to see he hadn't been lying to Hazel too much—his leg really wasn't broken, just bruised as Hades. It was only moderately painful to stand up. Then Leo reached into his tool belt, fingered the astrolabe, and forgot all about the bruises on his calf. "Oh, I'll be fine, Frank. I have another method of navigation."

"This is the _labyrinth_, Leo," Hazel protested. "You can't rely on a compass, or . . . or one of those UPS systems you have these days—"

"GPS," Frank corrected quietly.

"_Whatever_," Hazel snapped. "Leo, you can't honestly think that—"

He tuned her out, snapping the crystal into the astrolabe and calibrating it to his location as best he could (which was pretty badly, considering that it was the labyrinth and he could very well be in California or Mongolia, for all he knew). Immediately, a beam of light shot out of the crystal, pointing forward about five hundred feet before veering into a side tunnel. Slowly, Leo grinned.

"Trust me, Hazel. This method of navigation is _very_ reliable." He took one last look at the collapsed tunnel, hoping his friends would be all right without him. "Be careful, guys. I'll see you in a bit."

"Leo . . ." He could hear Hazel kicking stones furiously, which he knew just meant she was as worried about him as he was about them. "Leo, you be careful too."

"Always am," he said cheekily.

"And don't do anything stupid."

_I'm coming back for you, Calypso. I swear it on the River Styx._

Leo almost laughed. _Too late for that, Hazel Levesque, _he thought. "Wouldn't dream of it," he said out loud. "I'll meet up with you later."

Then he took off down the tunnel, following the light that would lead him straight to Ogygia.

And straight to Calypso.


	2. The Necklace

**Wow, I'm used to tons of people following and not doing anything else, but this story has more reviews than followers right now! That's insanely awesome! Thanks, guys! In appreciation, have this update. :)**

**This is a short Calypso interlude drabble, just to keep you all in suspense for a while. Don't worry; Leo will be back in the labyrinth next chapter. :) But I _did _warn you this was a series of Caleo headcanons, not a strictly-linked story. Hope you enjoy it anyway!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own PJO/HoO.**

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**The Necklace**

* * *

During her endless years on Ogygia, Calypso had wandered its beaches and collected its most beautiful shells more times than she could count. She used the large ones to decorate her cave and garden, but she strung the miniature ones into a long necklace, using some rope she'd braided as a cord. It was pretty much the only ornamentation she ever wore, now that she'd been banished to Ogygia. Regular jewelry reminded her of her opulent childhood with the Titans too much, but the shells symbolized her own usefulness—whether she was a prisoner or not—since she'd made the necklace herself. Whenever she felt nervous, lonely, or upset about the many boys who had come and gone from Ogygia, she always fingered her necklace. The night that Calypso watched Leo sail away from Ogygia, his ridiculous-looking guidance console rigged to the front of the raft that had come for him after all, she fingered the necklace a lot.

After Leo disappeared into the starry darkness, Calypso slept on the beach. It seemed like thousands of years of getting left behind had finally drained her last shreds of emotion and energy, and she didn't have the strength to stumble back to her cave, weep and break things for a while, and then calm down. She just curled into a ball and passed out next to the campfire that burned as brightly as her aching heart.

The next morning, all of Calypso's energy came rushing back, and she spent a fair amount of time kicking the remains of her ruined dining table and cursing Leo for tricking her into believing they had another week together and then sailing away.

At about noon, a small voice in the back of her head reminded Calypso that he hadn't _tricked_ her—she'd just fallen in love with him too quickly. After that . . . well, she'd been angry with _Leo_ for destroying her dining table, but by the time _she_ was finished with it, there was no evidence that furniture had ever even _existed_ there.

At about two, an _aura_ floated by with some cider and stew because the spirits were concerned that she hadn't eaten since last night's picnic. Unfortunately for the _aura_, the meal reminded Calypso of Leo's stupid wonderful dream of owning a mechanics garage and his stupid wonderful offer to let her work with him. After yelling at the poor wind spirit for a few minutes, the food ended up tossed into the trees, and the cider was poured onto the smoking remains of the campfire from the night before.

At about two-thirty, Calypso wandered back to her cave to apologize to the _aura_ profusely and then get some (non-Leo-related) food—and her fountain was fixed. She gritted her teeth and walked past, pretending she could still hear the sporadic _plink_ of water dripping from the bronze satyr—and she saw her garden tools sitting near a flower bed, sharp and clean like they weren't thousands of years old. Her throat tightened, but Calypso hunched her shoulders and reached her cave—and it was surprisingly easy to sweep the curtain aside because the rod was level.

At approximately 2:34, Calypso forgot that she was supposed to be angry with Leo for leaving and collapsed in front of her cave entrance, dirt staining her jeans and tears streaking her face.

At four o'clock, Calypso dried her eyes and decided to clean up the remains of their picnic, mostly because she couldn't stand to be in her garden any longer, surrounded by the things Leo had fixed. She meandered down to the ocean . . . only to find that the _aurae_ had already cleaned away the dinner and were beginning to take apart the forge Leo had built farther down the beach. Something constricted in Calypso's chest, and she cried out for them to stop. She could practically _feel _their curiosity; she always demanded that they strip away every trace of a hero's presence, and she usually helped them do it. But today . . . "Leave the forge alone," she said softly. As soon as the words left her mouth, she could feel the wind spirits drift away, however hesitantly. She knew she was being silly. She knew the sensible thing was to tear apart the forge and forget all about Leo Valdez, just like she tried her best to forget the other heroes. But that obnoxious little voice in the back of her head refused to let her treat Leo like he was just another hero who had broken her heart. After all, all those heroes had offered to visit her, offered to try to break her out of Ogygia . . . but none of them were as bullheaded about it as Leo Valdez. None of them had tried to make her a stupid stubborn promise like his. _And what if he actually pulls it off?_ the voice asked, despite Calypso's best intentions to ignore that part of her heart. _He might need his forge again._

Calypso cursed her heart that was as stubborn as Leo's promise, played with her necklace, and stepped reluctantly towards the forge. If she was going to leave the forge there, she couldn't let it remain singed, sooty, and strewn with random metal scraps and mechanical parts. She walked inside and started to pick up Leo's leftover bits and bobs, stacking them on his homemade anvil. She told herself she collected them so she could stuff them into a bag, rather than have birds carry them off all over the island, but in her heart, Calypso knew she was kidding herself. She would stuff them into a bag to keep them safe—just in case, by some miracle, Leo managed to find his way back and needed some supplies. And it was while Calypso was wrestling with her heart, trying to convince herself not to focus in on the impossible promise he'd made the day before, that she found The Stash.

It was a familiar-looking drawstring bag—familiar because Calypso had made it herself. She opened it up and—sure enough—it was filled with nuts, bolts, screws, nails, wire, and a heap of other hardware supplies Leo had pulled out of his tool belt and stuck inside the bag, so that Calypso didn't have to ask him every time she needed another part. It was stuffed full of so many odds and ends that Leo had joking begun to refer to it as The Stash, and somehow the name had stuck. Seeing it brought back so many memories that Calypso couldn't help but tear up, thinking of the countless occasions when they'd reached inside The Stash at the same time, their hands had touched, and one or both of them had jerked backwards, usually spilling the contents of the bag and always giving each other flustered looks—until the day when they became so friendly that brushing hands while grabbing a screw was no big deal. Oh, _gods . . . _

Without any conscious thought about what she was doing, Calypso began to sort through the bag. Each screw reminded her of the time Leo had taught her how to use a screwdriver and had stood close behind her to make sure she got it right, even leaning over her shoulder once. Every wire seemed like the same ones Calypso had braided that day when Leo had talked about starting a repair shop with her, and they had worked together in easy silence all afternoon. All the nuts and bolts felt wrong in her fingers—she had spent too many days watching Leo thread the former onto the latter. And the washers—

Calypso tried to take one of the washers out of the bag, to add it to the right pile, but she couldn't pull it free. Eventually, she grabbed it and yanked, and it finally flew out, taking half of the bag's contents with it. Calypso stared at it. A thick coil of wire—nearly as thick as the rope she'd woven for her necklace—had somehow gotten threaded through the washer, and by pulling the washer, she'd also pulled out most of the wire, which had in turn pushed the other bits of hardware out of The Stash as well.

Calypso kept staring. The steel washer looked surprisingly pretty against the bronze coil, with the contrasting metals gleaming in the sunlight. They glinted, almost like jewelry . . .

Within a few minutes, Calypso had laced the washers and nuts onto her necklace, alternating them with the shells. Island beauty and man-made practicality hung side by side, more beautiful together than they had ever been apart. The next time Calypso fingered her necklace, it didn't seem so painful to think about Leo Valdez. The shells and washers were better when next to each other—they weren't meant to be by themselves. And because of that, Calypso began to listen to that voice in the back of her mind. She started to believe that Leo _would _find a way to get back to her. He was just that stubborn (and clever, and amazing, and ingenious).

For the first time in thousands of years, Calypso allowed herself to hope.


	3. The Final Breath

**Hey, I'm back! Thanks for the reviews/follows/favorites, everyone! Now back to Leo in the labyrinth. :)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own HoO.**

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**The Final Breath**

* * *

Leo sprinted through Pasiphae's labyrinth, clutching his side. He hated the first monster that had found him. He hated the other monsters that had followed. Most of all, he hated Gaea for getting him into this situation in the first place. The situation that was going to get him killed.

He glanced down to see that blood was still dripping between his fingers, despite how hard he was pressing down. Gritting his teeth, Leo pushed his hand in even more, holding back a yelp of pain. It was bad enough the hellhounds would be able to track him by the scent of his blood. He wasn't about to give them an auditory aid too. _Come_ _on_, he thought to himself. _Hold yourself together. You just have to keep running._ Odysseus's astrolabe was in his free hand, the gem at the tip casting a beam of light in front of him.

_I'm coming back for you, Calypso. I swear it on the River Styx._

Leo shook his head and dug his fingers in deeper. He made a sharp left turn, following the only light ray _ever _that defied the laws of physics and didn't have to travel in a straight line. _Stupid_, _stupid_, he berated himself. _It was stupid of you to say that oath._ He had learned a few things at Camp Half-Blood. He knew that breaking an oath on the Styx was worse than death. The stupidest part was, he could have promised without using the river. He could have sworn on his love of mechanics, food, and Festus. So why the Hades had he gone and sworn on the Styx?

Up ahead, the ray veered to the right. Leo followed, still thinking. An oath like his was binding whether he was alive or not. If Leo died before he got to Calypso, the oath would follow him to the grave, and he did _not_ want to find out what would come next. He had to keep his promise, no matter what happened.

_An oath to keep with a final breath. _Leo almost wanted to laugh at the irony. He had hoped that going on this impossible quest to the Ancient Lands would finally give him a purpose, that being part of the seven would finally make him important, that he would finally _matter_. Tià Callidà had told him that he would have a substantial role to play, hadn't she? Leo had once thought building the _Argo II_ and sailing his friends around safely would be his big role, but now he knew better. He was fulfilling the _prophecy_. What role could be more important than that?

Leo snorted, the movement sending sharp pains shooting through his abdomen. Gods. Here he was, running away again. Ever since that workshop fire when he was seven, all he had done was flee his problems. Finding Camp Half-Blood, he'd finally thought he was through with running, but as it turned out, running was the most important skill a demigod could learn. That way, when he or she was mortally wounded and being chased by countless monsters, he or she could at least have a chance of finding the immortal being he or she was in love with in order to keep a promise he or she had made with his or her final breath. _Awesome_.

At least he would see Calypso again.

Actually, that was the only thing keeping him going. The blood was starting to stream from him now, coating his hand and staining his tool belt—now it was so bloodied no one would ever want to wear it again, despite its epic magical powers, which was a shame because Leo would have liked to give it to Harley if he had had a chance. He could hear barks and growls now, which meant the monsters were catching up. On top of all that, he had no idea how long it would take to get to Ogygia, seeing as the labyrinth didn't exactly follow the rules. In fact, Leo's whole situation was so hopeless that he would have collapsed and let himself bleed out long ago, if it wasn't for his promise to Calypso. And not because of the prophecy line, or even because of the "I swear it on the River Styx" part. No, Leo just wanted to see her again. He wanted to show her that he hadn't been making empty promises. He cared about her. He wasn't like all those other guys who had left her in the past. . . .

Only, wasn't he?

He was going to get to her and then die, wasn't he? He would leave her, just like everyone else had left her. Gods, he was no better than them. Leo skidded to a stop, blinking blood out of his eyes. (He had several other cuts from the monsters, although the gash in his side was the fatal injury.) Would she even _want_ to see him then? Would it be too painful? Would he just break her heart again, but even worse this time? Should he just leave her alone?

Suddenly, something thudded into Leo. He looked down to see a barb protruding from his leg, and when he turned, he could just make out the Manticore's grin of triumph. The pain started a half-second later.

Leo staggered, black spots dancing in his eyes. It was so dark in the labyrinth, Leo probably never would have known if they didn't cover up the beam of ligh—_the beam of light_. Without another thought, Leo stumbled away as quickly as he could . . . following the path the astrolabe charted. He had remembered his relief at finding out that the workshop fire hadn't really been his fault—it had been Gaea, trying to stop him from becoming part of the seven. The news hadn't lessened the pain of his mom's death, but it had lessened his guilt. He figured the least he could do for Calypso was give her the same closure. She'd probably be sad when he died—he hoped so, anyway—but she would know that he hadn't _wanted _to abandon her. He'd done every possible thing to get back to her. It was all Leo could offer her now. He just prayed to the gods that it was enough.

Then the light ray ended.

It stopped right in the middle of a corridor, ignoring physics once again.

It was almost too much for Leo to handle. He was bleeding profusely, he had manticore poison racing through his veins, he was being chased by a thousand monsters, he was one step away from passing out and dying, and now he'd managed to break the item that was supposed to lead him to Calypso. What the Hades was wrong with his life? Leo's breath hitched. He felt the life leaking out of him right along with his blood. He considered having a panic attack.

Instead, he grew strangely calm. Maybe his fear was leaving with his blood too, but for whatever reason, he stopped freaking out. This was it. He was going to die in the middle of the labyrinth. No one would ever know what happened to him, and Calypso would think that he, just like every other guy she'd known, had forgotten about her.

Oh, well.

Leo slumped against the wall of the labyrinth . . . and his fist, still closed around the useless astrolabe, brushed a carving that felt almost like a table. No, not quite a table—but the Greek letter Pi. _Pi for Pasiphae . . ._

With his last shreds of strength, Leo banged his fist against the carving of the table.

Immediately, he fell through the wall and onto a beach.

_Oh my gods, did I actually make it?_

"Ca . . ." he called out weakly. "Calypso . . . ?" Maybe she was gardening and couldn't hear him. "_Calypso_?" he tried, louder. "_CALYPSO, I'M DYING AND I NEED TO SEE YOU_."

His voice echoed in the silence for about five seconds, and then he heard some muttered curses, tumbling pebbles, a sharp intake of breath, and his name, whispered almost inaudibly. "_Leo_ . . ." Oh gods, he would know that voice anywhere.

Leo had to see for himself. He dug up some deep reserve of energy and rolled over. There, standing over him, was a tan girl with caramel hair and beautiful eyes. "Calypso . . . I came back for you."

She gaped at him. "Not this again."

Out of all the things Leo had expected, that wasn't it. "What . . . are you . . . talking about?"

"_You know what I'm talking about_," she exploded, the words rushing out of her. "Every night, you come back, and I'm excited to see you, and it's all very happy and I let myself believe that you managed to do the impossible, and then I wake up and it was all a dream and my heart breaks all over again and I _REFUSE_ to let that happen tonight. I'd like to wake up now."

Leo frowned at her. "If . . . you were dreaming," he managed, "would . . . your subconscious . . . really . . . imagine me . . . _dying_? You . . . hate me . . . that much?"

Calypso stared at him for five seconds, then ten. Then she made some indescribable noise of joy and threw her arms around him and kissed him hard on the mouth, never mind that his blood was soaking into her white t-shirt.

"Oh my gods," she whispered, "you really did it. You really made it back."

Leo smiled at her weakly. "Sort of . . ." he said. "But . . . I can't . . . stay long."

"No."

"Calypso, I—"

_"No."_

"I don't want—"

_"NO WAY IN HADES, LEO VALDEZ. YOU MADE IT BACK A SECOND TIME, AND THAT IS A MIRACLE, BUT I AM NOT LETTING YOU LEAVE WITHOUT ME AGAIN BECAUSE EVEN YOU CAN'T BEAT THE FATES TWICE AND I WILL NOT. LOSE. YOU."_

Oh gods, she was breaking his heart, and she didn't even know it. "See . . . that's the problem," he said. "I couldn't . . . even beat the Fates . . . _once_. I'm . . . dying, Calypso."

Calypso stared at him again. "No, you're not."

"Calypso, I'm bleeding out . . . and I'm poisoned . . . and I had an oath to keep . . . with a final breath . . . and here I am, so . . ." He breathed in, hard. "I think . . . it's over."

"You're not dying, Leo."

Now _he_ was starting to get angry. "Come on . . . Sunshine. Can't you . . . just kiss me again . . . and let go of . . . denial? Can I at least . . . have that . . . before I . . ."

"You. Are. Not. Dying."

Something in her tone made Leo hesitate. "How . . . How do you know?"

She grinned at him, wide and sudden. "Don't you remember what I told you when we first met? You can't die on Ogygia."

_"What?"_

"Think about it, Leo," she said. "For thousands of years I've waited for heroes to come to this island, battered and beaten, and I heal them. And then I offer them the chance to stay with me forever." For the first time, Leo didn't see tears in her eyes as she talked about her past. Instead, she looked . . . _triumphant_. "_Forever_, Leo. Of course, none of them have, but that's not the point. Don't you get it? They could stay with me forever if they wanted to. People can't die on Ogygia."

Leo was speechless. "But . . . I thought . . ."

"Not all heroes arrive as . . . as _explosively_ as you did, Leo," she said with a smile. "Sometimes I don't find them for hours, and the gods aren't _that _cruel. They wouldn't allow a hero to die before I got to them. So they added that enchantment to the island, ensuring that I could always find them in time. Sometimes I think it would be easier if they just . . ." She shook her head, as if warding off her memories. "But it worked in our favor today, didn't it?"

Leo couldn't quite believe his ears. He'd been running around the labyrinth for so long, sure he was going to die as soon as he saw her, that it seemed impossible that he could survive. "What's the catch? If . . . if I ever leave, will I die immediately? Will I—"

"No catch, Leo. I'll heal you, and you'll be fine. You won't die immediately if you leave—unless you get swallowed by a sea monster or something."

The humor seemed to be exactly what Leo needed to hear to believe her. He finally released the astrolabe—after all, he didn't need it anymore—and used his free hand to reach up to Calypso, tugging her down so they could kiss again.

A while later—it was hard to keep track of time while Calypso was kissing him—Leo broke away and frowned, a little of his ecstasy at staying alive fading. "Wait. Does this mean . . . does this mean one of my friends will die? Because _my _oath didn't kill me, so one of theirs will?"

At his question, Calypso's gorgeous smile faded a little. "Could you repeat the line of the prophecy again, please?"

Leo was so shocked by the "please" that he complied. "It said . . . _An oath to keep . . . with a final breath_."

Calypso bit her lip. "In that case, I think your friends will be fine."

Leo frowned. "But—"

"Trust me, Leo."

"Okay," he said hesitantly. He'd never heard Calypso sound so gentle. _This must have been what she sounded like with all those other guys_, he thought wryly, _before she got stuck with me. _Surprisingly, he didn't feel jealous. Her gentle voice made him a bit nervous, actually. He felt much more comfortable around girls when they were yelling at him. Then at least he knew how to respond. "What's your reasoning?"

She sighed, and Leo was surprised to see tears shining in her eyes. "You didn't see what you looked like when I found you. You can't see what you look like now. Leo . . . Leo, you're really pale, and you're absolutely _covered_ in blood." She leaned back from him a little, so Leo could see how much blood had stained her shirt—and holy Hephaestus, there was a _lot_. "I think . . . I think if you had arrived at Ogygia any later, you . . . well, people can't die on Ogygia, but they . . . they can wash onto the shore that way."

Slowly, Leo understood what she was insinuating. "You mean . . . if I had taken a second longer . . . to get here, I probably . . . would have died?"

Calypso winced. "Yes," she whispered. "So you see, well, you probably came to me with your last breath."

_I'm coming back for you, Calypso. I swear it on the River Styx._

Leo thought about that for a second, and then he laughed. "Well, thank gods . . . for that."

Calypso frowned at him. "I . . . Why?"

"Well, I . . . had great timing," he said with a smile. "I'm not dead . . . my friends . . . aren't dead, and . . . the prophecy . . . is fulfilled. I'd say . . . that's a win-win, Calypso."

"And it doesn't scare you? That you—you almost _died_?"

"Of course it does . . . but it doesn't matter . . . because . . . I'm . . . here. Wouldn't have it . . . any . . . other way."

At that, Calypso leaned down and kissed him again. After a moment, she stopped to tilt her head at him. He could practically _see _the question in her eyes. "How _did_ you get here anyway?"

"Tell you . . . later," he said. "Could I . . . maybe get . . . a bandage . . . first?"

She clapped a hand over her mouth. "My gods, Leo, I'm sorry. I just—I saw you and you were here and you were alive, and I didn't even . . . Gods, I'm an idiot. I'll go—I'll get you ambrosia and nectar and bandages and everything. I'm so sorry." She turned to leave, and that's when Leo saw the new additions to her shell necklace.

He couldn't help but grin. "_Washers_, Sunshine?" he teased. "Those don't have . . . anything to do with _me_, do they?"

"Shut up, Valdez." And she was gone.

He let himself sink into the sand, chuckling. Now she was mad at him. That was more like it.

He really had made it back.

* * *

**Haha, I had you all worried there for a second, didn't I? But I wasn't about to kill off Leo as soon as he met Calypso. That would have been _so mean. _*sighs* I have so many headcanons about how to resolve the whole "final breath" problem without killing anyone... Probably wishful thinking, but wishful thinking is my specialty. :P**

**Anyway, I hope I did their reunion justice. ****Tell me what you thought!**


	4. The Wish

**And the final installment of this mini-story! It was fun to share my headcanons with all you guys. I just hope they're feasible enough for RR to include them in BoO. I want this impossible relationship to work out _so badly_. ;)**

**Anyway, credit and appreciation goes to fabulouslaughter and my other (real life) friends for coming up with many of the seven's (not including Leo's) wishes. But I didn't include the really ridiculous ones because . . . well, they're ridiculous. :P**

**Enjoy the chapter!**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot.**

* * *

**The Wish**

* * *

Leo stood in the throne room on Mt. Olympus (the new one hovering over the Empire State Building, not the original, even though they could have, seeing as they'd kept Gaea from destroying either one), staring up at the gods in amazement. Distantly, he heard Zeus say, "We will grant each of the seven any wish, as long as it is within our power."

Leo could hardly believe it. They'd actually done it. They'd defeated Gaea, fulfilled the prophecy, and come through it alive—every single one of the seven. And . . . he looked at Calypso and smiled. And Calypso too.

* * *

No matter how much Calypso had tried to convince him, Leo had known he couldn't stay on Ogygia. After all, the war hadn't been over yet. At the same time, though, he'd known he couldn't leave Calypso waiting alone _again_. Instead, she had healed him as quickly as possible, and then he had forced her to come into the labyrinth with him—and miracle of miracles, it had _actually worked._ At first, Leo had been nervous about introducing Calypso to his friends—and she had been slightly offended that he hadn't ever mentioned her to them—but when they stumbled onto Hazel and Frank several hours later, they had been more surprised than judgmental. It had been pretty awkward at first, but then Hazel had said something that made Leo forget all about his anxiety.

"Of course!" she had said, smacking her forehead. "It's obvious! Calypso! _You're_ the weapon!"

Calypso had frowned, offended. "Excuse me? I'm not an _object_—"

Hazel had apologized immediately. "Sorry. I meant _secret_ weapon, as in, you know, our hidden advantage." As she spoke, Hazel had gotten more and more excited. "Hecate had said only one of us would be able to find it, and Leo, you used that astrolabe to navigate right to her. And . . . oh, this is perfect! Calypso, if Gaea thinks all the gods are incapacitated because of the schizophrenia, and you show up with us . . . You can help us defeat the giants!"

Leo had quickly warmed up to the idea. "Hear that, Sunshine?" he had grinned. "You ready to do something more exciting than gardening? We can kick some serious monster butt together. Queen Dirt Face will _so _ticked off."

Calypso had gotten a beautiful, terrifying gleam in her eyes. "Sounds _very _fun, Leo."

"Yes! This will be so great! I love you!" Almost immediately, Leo had realized what he had said and clamped his mouth shut, but it had been too late. Hazel and Frank had already been gaping in astonishment . . . but Calypso had beamed at him, practically glowing in the darkness. And that had made his embarrassment completely worth it.

After the explanations and stories had ended, they had spent about a day retracing their steps (thank the gods, the ball of wire had worked), and then Leo had had to tell the rest of the crew that their "secret weapon" was actually a goddess who also happened to kind of be his girlfriend. It had taken a while for them to get over their shock.

Especially Percy.

That had been pretty funny to watch.

* * *

As Leo reminisced, he watched as each of the seven came forward and got a wish—Percy secured a promise to repair the damage to both camps that had occurred during the war, and to never keep the two camps separated again. ("You saw how badly that worked out the first time.") He also got the gods to turn all the food at the celebration banquet blue, even though Annabeth elbowed him in the ribs while he was talking and reminded him that not everyone found cobalt-colored meals as appetizing as he did. When she stepped up next—still sighing about what a Seaweed Brain her boyfriend was, Leo observed with a grin—Annabeth asked for her laptop and knife back, for Hades to expedite Bob and Damasen's regeneration ("and by 'expedite', I mean 'get them out within the next ten months, not within the next thousand years,'" Annabeth clarified), and for Hera to stop kidnapping demigods ("and _especially_ not Percy," she added threateningly). When a spider skittered across the throne room in the middle of Annabeth's wishing, Leo could have sworn that she opened her mouth to ask for the destruction of all spiders as well . . . but then she looked at Percy, seemed to remember that she'd chastised _him _for making a ridiculous wish, and fell silent.

Piper's turn was next. First, she managed to make Zeus promise not to close down Olympus when they were in trouble. "Just _tell _us that we're facing a looming apocalypse next time, all right?" she finished. After some complaining, he agreed. Then Piper got a sly look in her eyes. "And," she added, "I want to be able to punch any god or goddess in the face—_without_ any negative repercussions."

Percy's eyes lit up. "Can I get that too?"

"Watch your tongue, Jackson," Zeus growled. "You've already made your wish." He turned back to Piper, forcing an exaggerated look of patience. "And _why_ do you want to, ah, punch one of us in the face?"

Piper stared at him. "Isn't it obvious?" she demanded. "You've been using your own children as pawns for millennia. Your _wife_ kidnapped Percy and Jason and stole their memories. She made Percy lose _months_ of his life, and you know how short demigod lives can be! Bacchus stood by while Percy and Jason fought Ephialtes and Otis in the Colosseum. Athena set Annabeth a nearly impossible task in Rome, one that ended with Percy and her in _Tartarus_. You ignored us for most of our quest, and you refused to help us defeat the giants and Gaea until we closed the Doors of Death, even though you wanted them destroyed as much as we did! How could I _not_ want to punch you in the face? You should be grateful that I only want to punch _one_ of you."

Leo tried not to grin as Zeus's face grew more and more thunderous—ha, _thunderous_—with each sentence. "Piper McLean, how dare you—"

"Oh, let her," Poseidon laughed, infuriating Zeus even further. "She's right, we've been acting ridiculous this entire time. Besides, you know what the conditions of our wish-granting are. 'Anything, as long as it's within our power.' I'm sorry, brother, but that wish is definitely in our power."

Leo gave up on trying to hide how much he was enjoying this. Zeus grumbled for a while longer, but in the end, he acknowledged that he couldn't really refuse her. "So," he sighed," which of us are you going to . . . punch?"

Piper looked thoughtful. "I honestly don't know," she admitted. "A lot of you have been jerks to us." Annabeth whispered something in her ear, and Piper grinned. "I'll have to consult my friends," she said formally, sticking her chin in the air. "I'll get back to you later." Then she started cracking up and had to lean on Annabeth for support as she stepped back.

Once the other gods had calmed Zeus down some, Jason walked up for his request. None of the gods switched to Roman form. They'd decided to stay Greek for the entire wish-granting, so as to avoid starting up more schizophrenia or confusion. Besides, it was more of a Greek hero tradition anyway. Jason first requested a special kind of transport, so demigods could travel between the two camps efficiently. When that was granted easily—Zeus mostly looked relieved that Jason didn't want to do some punching too—Jason continued. "I also want you to declare," he added, "that _all_ sorts of demigods will be accepted and happy at both camps, and they will not be discriminated against based on race, gender, ability, or se—"

To Leo's surprise, Nico shadow-traveled into the room at that point and clapped a hand over Jason's mouth. "You. Shut. Up," he snapped. "I'll deal with things myself." He turned to the gods. "Ignore this idiot's last wish," he said. Then he shadow-traveled away. Leo stared at his friends for clarification, but they looked just as confused as he felt—except for Jason, who seemed annoyed. Zeus appeared resigned to the fact that the demigods who had saved Western civilization were all clinically insane and didn't even comment on the interruption.

After that, it was Frank's turn. He stepped up confidently—more so than Leo had ever seen him—and looked at Hades, rather than Zeus. "I want you to lift Hazel from her curse," he insisted. "She should still be able to raise jewels and precious metals and whatever, but I want you to make it so people can touch them without getting hurt. She literally died to save the world. It's not right that you've cursed her." Before Hades could respond, Frank crossed his arms. Now that Mars's blessing had given him a godly growth spurt, Leo thought Frank looked threatening for the first time in his life. "That's not all," he said. "I also want you to issue a blanket amnesty for all escaped souls—and you have to swear not to interfere with how long they have in this second life." He glared at Hades. "I am _not_ going to let you take Hazel away."

Leo couldn't believe it when Hades/Pluto smiled at him—yes, _smiled_. "That seems reasonable, Frank Zhang. I will grant both of your requests."

For a moment, Hazel couldn't do anything but beam at her father and at Frank, her eyes shining. Then she threw her arms around her boyfriend and kissed him on the cheek. Leo was close enough to hear when she whispered, "Pluto told me once that a descendant of Neptune would lift my curse. Thank you for proving him right, Frank."

Frank hugged her tightly. "Anything for you, Haze."

Part of Leo was entertained by how tiny Hazel looked next to the son of Mars, but most of him was just pleased. Hazel was sweet and kind. If the gods had even _suggested_ sending her back to Asphodel, he would have bashed their faces in with his hammer, never mind that they were vengeful and immortal. Plus, he was sure Frank and Percy would have helped him out. (Styx, maybe Piper would have used her free punch to knock some sense back into them.)

Eventually, Hazel let go of Frank and took her place in the center of the throne room. "And I want you to remove the tie between Frank and his stick of firewood," she said stubbornly. "He should be able to live out his life without worrying about it burning."

Hera shook her head. "It's impossible, Hazel Levesque," she said. "Frank's life has been linked to that plank since birth. The tie between them is rooted in the Fates, not the gods. We cannot remove that connection without killing him."

Percy scowled and took a step forward, and Hazel's eyes blazed. "That's bull," she said fiercely. "You're the one who came to his mom and grandmother and told them about the wood. I'm sure you can—"

Frank placed a hand on Hazel's shoulder, making her hesitate. "It's okay, Hazel," he promised. "Thanks to Leo and Calypso"—he shot a thankful smile in Leo's direction—"I haven't had to worry about my firewood for weeks. That drawstring bag will keep me safe. It's okay if they can't break the connection."

"But—"

"It's okay," he repeated.

Hazel frowned. "But then . . ." She looked around. "Everyone's alive. Everyone's safe. What should I wish for?"

"Think about it," Frank said. "Take your time. They won't rush you." He glared at Zeus. "Will they?"

Apparently, Zeus had decided that protesting wasn't worth it. He sighed dramatically. "Very well. We will . . . come _back_ to you, Hazel Levesque."

_They'll come back to her?_ Leo thought. _But that means . . ._ Suddenly, Leo realized that everyone was watching _him_ now. "And what is _your_ wish, Leo Valdez?"

Leo looked at the ground, hesitating. He knew what the gods could grant him—anything, even immortality. But that would mean living apart from all his friends, staying fifteen forever while they grew up, got married, and had mortal lives. Besides . . . He tilted his head to the side a little, just enough to see tan, slender fingers entwined with his. If he became immortal, he would have to live with the knowledge that Calypso was stuck on her island for all eternity. And Leo didn't think he could handle that.

He turned his face to the gods. "Apparently, you forgot the first time you heard this request," he said impishly, "so I'll ask _again_. I want you to free Calypso from Ogygia."

Next to him, Calypso breathed in sharply. He squeezed her hand and looked to the gods for their answer. He expected annoyance, reluctance, indifference, or anger—basically, he expected any or all of the reactions Zeus had displayed so far—but what he saw was much more worrisome. The gods seemed . . . sad. Pitying. Why in Hades would they _pity_ him? It was a small enough wish . . . right?

Finally, Zeus fixed his gaze on Leo. "We would grant you this wish," he said, "but unfortunately, it is not within our power."

Leo stared at him. _Since when did the King of the Gods make jokes? _"You're kidding, right?" he said. "You could make me immortal, but you can't free Calypso? You made the enchantment. Just undo it!"

Hephaestus's eyes were brimming with sadness and regret. "It is not that simple, Leo," he explained. "As Calypso told you, the magic on Ogygia is becoming unstable. It is why it was so difficult for you to leave the first time. It is why your raft did not take you exactly where you wished to go. It is why you were able to return through the labyrinth, and why Calypso was able to leave her island by the same route temporarily. And unfortunately, it is also why she cannot leave permanently."

Athena took up the explanation. "Calypso's magic revives the island," she said. "Her strength and immortality is the reason that it is such a flourishing paradise. However, Calypso and Ogygia have been intertwined for so many millennia that it is now nearly impossible to separate the two. Perhaps we could have done it before Gaea began to awaken, but now that we have been plagued by discord between camps, split between Greek and Roman personalities, weakened by a long and difficult war . . ." Her gray eyes looked at Calypso. For once, they weren't cold, calculating, and terrifying. They were just sympathetic, like the rest of the gods' expressions. Leo couldn't stand it.

"I'm sorry," Athena said. She seemed to be speaking more to Calypso than to Leo, even though it had been his request. "But it is simply beyond our power at the moment. We could grant this wish in the future, perhaps after a few centuries have passed, but for now . . ."

"A few _centuries_?" Leo yelped. "Lady, I'll be _dead_ in a few centuries!" The goddess of wisdom turned to him, raising one eyebrow. He gulped, his ears reddening. "Sorry. But I mean . . . Isn't there another way?"

For the first time that Leo could remember, Athena hesitated. She turned to Zeus, and the King of the Gods spoke. "There _is_ another way," he said slowly, "but it will have a price. Calypso . . ." He turned to the goddess. "Your immortality is tied to Ogygia, as Athena said. That connection is why it would be so hard for us to undo the curse. However, if you were to give up that immortality . . ."

Calypso gasped. The room fell silent, except for the sound of Leo's heart pumping, which was so loud he figured everyone could hear it.

"Giving up my . . . Becoming mortal?" Calypso asked finally, her voice soft and questioning. "This will free me?"

Athena nodded. "And only that, dear," she answered. "I'm sorry. You helped defeat several giants after you left Ogygia, and we know that without you, these demigods' quest never would have succeeded. We owe you a great deal. We would free you if we could, and as soon as we are able, we shall. But in the meantime, Leo Valdez, do you have another wish?"

Leo stared at her uncomprehendingly. _Another wish?_ All he wanted was Calypso.

"Come on, boy," Hephaestus said gruffly, but kindly. "There must be something else we can do for you. What about—?"

"No!"

Everyone in the room turned to look at Calypso, Leo included. Her cheeks were flushed and her eyes were bright, but her voice was steady. "No," she repeated. "I will agree to this. I will relinquish my immortality to be free of Ogygia."

Zeus's mouth actually dropped open. "Think about what you're _saying_, Calypso!" he thundered. "Consider the consequences! You would grow _old_? You would . . . You would _die_ and go to the _Underworld_? How could mere freedom be worth _that_?"

Calypso held her head high. "You have not been a prisoner like I have," she said confidently. "You do not understand. Being trapped on Ogygia for so long has opened my eyes. I now know that it is better to live a short life of freedom than an endless life of exile. Besides . . ." She turned to Leo, and he was surprised to see a blinding white smile on her face. "The best things in life only come with sacrifice. And I think the best thing I could ever hope for is waiting for me in the mortal world."

Leo's mouth was hanging open. Calypso nudged it shut with her hand and leaned towards him. "You were concerned," she said softly, "about having a mortal life while I lived on forever." She smiled even wider. "Once I am freed, you won't have to worry about that any longer."

"You would give up immortality," Leo said, "for _me_?" _For me, the annoying, undersized, scrawny mechanic?_

"Don't get a big head, Leo Valdez," Calypso scolded. "It's for my own freedom too." But by the way she kissed him, Leo figured he was the deciding factor.

* * *

**Thank you all for the reviews/favorites/follows! It makes me so happy to see that people are enjoying this story, and it's also a bit bittersweet because this is the last chapter. :') Oh, but I did write a prequel-ish thing to this in my story _A World of Oneshots_—it's the chapter called "Rainbow"—so feel free to check that out if you're interested in seeing more Caleo from me. Other than that, thanks for reading! I hope this was a nice distraction while waiting for BoO. :)**

**It's been fun!**

**- Storm**


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